Carolina Panthers safety Mike Mitchell has already set his sights on his side's next meeting with the San Francisco 49ers.

The Panthers were dumped out of the playoffs courtesy of a 23-10 defeat at the hands of the 49ers last night, with Mitchell unhappy at a number of calls that went against him during the match.

However, the 26-year-old is keen to harness the disappointment in a positive way and use it as inspiration for revenge the next time the two teams face each other.

"I can't wait to play them [again] with a new set of refs in a new game," Mitchell told reporters. "Everybody was emotional and upset, and rightfully so.

"But I told guys as soon as they got in here, remember this feeling, that team. Remember this feeling and that team we just played because we will see them again and it's not going to be sweet."

The Panthers won 11 of their final 12 regular season games to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2008.